


Birthday Surprises

by tptigger



Category: seaQuest
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-05 04:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/pseuds/tptigger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bridger plans a surprise party for Lucas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Surprises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [philote_auctor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/philote_auctor/gifts).



> Characters and situations were created by Rockne S. O'Bannon and are the property of Universal Studios. No Copyright infringement is intended.

Krieg slipped up to Captain Bridger as he entered the MagLev, looking around surreptitiously.

"What do you want, Krieg?" Bridger asked sternly.

"Rumor has it you're planning a surprise seventeenth birthday bash for Lucas, sir."

"I'm not letting you hire a stripper," Bridger said.

"No, but we're going to be within a couple hours of Node Three, I thought Lucas might like it if we invited Juliana and Nick," Krieg said. "What?"

Bridger's mouth had dropped open.

"What?" Krieg asked. "I checked with Commander Hitchcock, and she'd be happy to put Juliana up in her quarters. I think Lucas and Nick can stay out of trouble together, and Nick can stay with me until the party."

Bridger was still struck dumb.

"Well, sir, it's not like we want those two wandering around unsupervised this way..."

"Mr. Krieg, I'm simply shocked by how not appalled I am. Go ahead and give Node Three a call, just be sure to tell them not to mention it to Lucas."

"Maybe you should give them a call, sir, I have it on good authority that Lucas has told them some things that would make them unlikely to trust me."

"Like anything about you?" Bridger suggested.

"Something like that, sir," Krieg said.

"All right, Krieg, any other suggestions."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to order a keg of..."

"Krieg..."

"Gourmet root beer, sir, there's a great microbrewery..."

"Should I leave you in charge of the cake and ice cream too?"

"He's seventeen, sir, we might want to just make it cake," Krieg said.

"How are we going to make root beer floats without ice cream?"

"Very well, sir, cake and ice cream it is," Krieg said.

"Not a word to Lucas," Bridger said.

Krieg mimed zipping his lips, saluted, and then left.

* * *

Lucas sighed, staring at the computer game. Neither Nick nor Juliana were on Internex. And his parents hadn't called. Worse, it seemed like everyone on board had been too busy to talk to him. Had he mentioned that his parents hadn't called? Or sent so much as a card.

Not that Lucas was really expecting much, but would a simple "Happy Birthday, Lucas" be so much to ask for? He wondered if this would be another of what he'd taken to referring to as his Harry Potter birthdays--not so much as a celebratory toothpick.

Lucas shook away the thought, even his childhood paled compared to Harry's--he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself. His console beeped, indicating a message from the bridge. He thumbed the switch. "Yeah, I mean, er, this is Lucas."

He couldn't quite bring him self to get as formal as to say "Wolenczak."

"Lucas, they need you in the conference room," Sanchez, who was O'Neill's relief said.

"What? Why?"

Sanchez smirked. "I don't know, kid, I just deliver the messages."

"Ok, I'm on my way," Lucas said dejectedly.

He could see Sanchez shaking his head with disapproval as he thumbed off the comm. Adults! Seriously.

Lucas sighed, got up, and headed out towards the conference room, wondering if he should ask Sanchez to forward any calls there. He suspected, however, that such a request would lower Sanchez's estimation of him further, so instead he sighed heavily, dug deep into what he called his "Grown-up reserve of professionalism" and headed to the conference room double time.

It was weird, because he'd thought he'd heard a lot of commotion and noise coming from the conference room, but when he rounded the corner, things were quiet, too quiet, except for some muted whispering.

When he reached the conference room, Lucas found the bridge crew seated around the conference table, looking like they were all trying to look stern. Krieg had several tells, his eyes were sparkling and his stern frown was exaggerated. Ortiz and O'Neil weren't looking at each other, which Lucas knew that they always had to do to keep from laughing.

"Lucas, we have something very important to discuss with you," Bridger said sternly. Well, mock-sternly.

It was the tone of voice he used when Lucas had done something harebrained but otherwise harmless and he was trying very hard not to laugh. A sudden flicker of hope tickled at Lucas's stomach.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, Captain?" Lucas asked uncomfortably, shooting an uneasy glance at Dr. Westphalen.

"I um..."

"The Captain has something important to discuss with you, Lucas," Krieg said, shouting it over his shoulder.

"Sorry, it's a giant cake," came a grunt from just outside the other door.

Lucas ran towards the sound of the voice, just as Nick and Juliana entered the conference room through the other doorway, carrying a large sheet cake between them, while the entire room broke into a slightly off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday."

He helped his friends move the birthday cake to the conference table, then gave Nick a bear hug and Juliana a kiss on the lips. It was more chaste than he normally would have for such an unexpected visit, but it was the best he could do with all of the adults in his life watching.

He broke the kiss, then turned to his shipmates. "Thank you."

* * *

"Are you all right, Lucas?" Bridger asked as the teen was helping him clean up the conference room after the party.

"Yeah, fine," Lucas said. "It was a great party."

Bridger looked at him warily. "It's not like you to offer to help clean up."

Lucas shrugged. "Nick and Juliana had to get back to Node Three, so it's not like I had anything better to do."

"You're sure you're all right?"

"Fine, Captain."

"Heard from your dad?"

Lucas wondered, not for the first time, if Captain Bridger was psychic. "No. Not Mom either."

"I wouldn't blame you for being a little upset."

Lucas shrugged. "At least my other family remembered. It could be worse."

Bridger raised an eyebrow.

"I figure if I keep telling myself that, I'll believe it."

"Your parents should remember your birthday, Lucas," Bridger said. "It's all right to be angry at them."

"I guess," Lucas said. "But the party was really cool, and it did help. Thank you, Captain."

"Was the ice cream too much? Krieg said you were getting too old..."

Lucas laughed. "The ice cream was my favorite part. I've never been much of a cake eater."

Bridger smiled. "Anything we could've done better?"

"Hold it on Sea Deck," Lucas said, pointing at the conference room dolphin tube where Darwin was hovering.

"Chemical health standards, we couldn't have had the cake," Bridger said.

"Oh yeah, those," Lucas said, not wanting to point out how frequently that particular rule was ignored. Then again, people tended to hide their food when Bridger visited the labs.

"I'm sure he'd love it if you went for a swim," Bridger said.

Darwin floated up excitedly, making Lucas wonder if the vocoder frequency was open.

"Are you sure?"

"It's your birthday, you shouldn't have to clean up after your own party," Bridger said. "Scram."

"Thank you, Captain," Lucas said. "For everything."

"Happy birthday, kiddo," Bridger said as Lucas left the room, signaling for Darwin to meet him on Sea Deck.

End


End file.
